Anyway -- I've had many visions of refreshing this little number for quite some time. Here's what I liked about it: 1) It's real wood, unlike most furniture nowadays that's made of some space-age plastic laminated with woodgrain cartoons; 2) It's mid-century design is pretty sweet; 3) It was free, and I'm cheap. I didn't like the boring color, though, so I picked an olive green shade for this project.
First, I sanded the shine off of the finish. Not too much sanding -- mind you, I'm not good with power tools and I think I spent a total of 10 minutes with the palm sander. I skipped the primer. (Yeah, I know, but I used a paint that has primer in it). Two coats did the trick. After thoroughly dry, I attacked with a scrap of fine-grit sandpaper and distressed the corners.
Because I can never leave well enough alone, I decoupaged the drawers with some gorgeous paper. This is actually a very, very simple process. First, brush the surface to be decorated with a glue/water mixture. I use foam brushes because, you guessed it, they're cheap. I like Elmer's Glue-All. About 1/4 cup with just a smidgen of water does the trick. You don't want it runny, just "flowy". (Flowy?) After the glue has set a couple minutes on the surface and has gotten tacky, place your cutouts on top and smooth, smooth, smooth with your bare hands. Cover with another layer of the glue, making sure to get all the edges smoothed down. I usually do about 3 coats, with 15 minutes drying time between each coat.
One or two coats of Minwax polyurethane ensures your kids and/or husband don't destroy your creation.
I'm loving this piece now. I had intended to put it in my bathroom, but now it's front-and-center in the living room. Blake says I'm taking over with my "stuff". I'm wondering why he's just now realizing this.
